One Fateful Night
by drewdarling
Summary: Katherine ruines a nice evening for Stefan and Elena. Stefan is Vampire. Elena is still human.


**Elena pov**

We pulled up to the wooden bridge and crossed it. I sighed and I felt Stefan tense beside me. "Katherine won't be here. I can sense it."

I smiled at him but I still felt uneasy. We found a free spot in the grass and got out. Every year, the senior kids put together a big bonfire party. This year it was in the woods. Lanterns covered the ground in a circle. And in the middle, the biggest bonfire I'd ever seen. It lit up the empty space in the middle of trees.

We got out of the car and started walking towards the crowd. Stephan grabbed my hand and smiled at me. "Relax." He then leaned down and kissed just under my ear before whispering, "I love you."

I tried to cover my fear with a smile but I knew he saw right through it. "I love you too." I gave his hand a squeeze.

The bad feeling I'd been having all day crept up my spine and slowly into my brain. I felt a very big headache coming on.

As we walked closer to the crowd I was Caroline and Tyler laughing away. And then I saw her.

Katherine.

I froze, Stefan a few steps ahead of me still holding onto my hand. "What?" I shook my head but the thought just kept coming. She had to kill me. There was no way out of it.

He looked over at Caroline and Tyler and then back at me, a confused look on his face. I looked up and meet eyes with her.

Stefan looked to where I was looking and saw her. He let go of my hand and started walking over to her, pushing past Caroline and Tyler.

"Stefan no!" I grabbed his arm and he looked back at me. I begged without saying anything. He sighed and relaxed his shoulders. "Okay. But if anything happens so help me..."

"I know." I led us over to the drink table and grabbed two red cups with unknown liquid inside. I chugged mine and sat down. Stefan laughed and sat down next to me.

"Never thought you as the drinker."

"Never was." I looked over at him and smiled.

"Wanna tell me whats bothering you? Besides...you know who." He said the last part with caution.

Sighing I decided to tell him. No use it hiding it. He always knew when I had something on my mind and was a very good guesser. "Jeremy is smoking again. And he's talking to himself like there's another person there. And there's not."

His brow creased as he thought. "Well there could be a number of reasons. Girl problems?" He guessed.

I shrugged. "He and Bonnie where having a rough patch but I thought they worked it out."

His thought even harder. I giggled.

"I don't like it when you think that hard. You start to worry and a worried Stefan is never good." I smoothed my thumb over his brow and looked into his eyes. "Its nothing. Just a phase. He'll grow out of it."

He laughed and put his hands on either side of my face. "I'll figure it out. I just need to keep you from worrying." He finished his drink and chugged a second.

Laughing I pulled on his arm. A slow song had just come on and I need to feel his arms around me.

"Dance with me." He got up and started dancing like a total goof. Giggling loudly I smacked his arm playfully.

"Now like that. Really dance with me." I pulled his closer and he wrapped his arm around my waist and held my hand with the other.

"Like this?" He whispered into my ear and I leaned my head against his chest.

"Yes."

We swayed for two more songs and I couldn't find it in me to let go. And neither could he. We both knew danger was close but in that moment, we where just...us.

I sighed and felt happy. For once everything faded away and I was finally home. I was finally letting it all go. For those moments where we danced I knew he loved me. Not in what he said or how he said it. But by what he didn't say. It was through his embrace. His closeness. The feeling of him finally letting me in.

Halfway through the third song I felt Stefan pulled from my grasp and I looked up and saw Katherine had his face down in the grass, sitting on top of his back.

"How can you fall for a human? Like really? What does she have to offer? Lame sex?" She threw her head back and laughed. I gasped and started running.

After a few feet I felt someone pummel me from behind. Someone hard.

"Leaving so soon? But I'm having such a good time!" All around me I could hear screams and hollers. I looked up and saw everyone running away, across the bridge and to their cars. I then felt a harsh pain go down my neck and I screamed.

"Katherine stop! I am done with your little game. This needs to end!" I heard Stefan get up and then there was nothing on my back.

Quickly, I rolled over and saw a blur of two bodies fighting each other. My vision began to swim. I felt my neck and brought my hand to my face. Crimson liquid covered my fingers.

Then I saw a third blur and then I heard a slosh and saw red flying over the grass.

Katherine was staked. She was dead. I sat up and put my head between my legs. I'd never seen someone kill anyone before. My neck was becoming numb. I couldn't feel anything. I started to close my eyes and let the darkness in.

And then I was off of the ground. A couple minutes later I was being put on something. I opened my eyes and looked around.

We where on the stacked rocks under the old wooden bridge. Stefan had me sitting at his feet while he was sitting on a rock.

Tears feel down my cheeks. She attacked me. It felt like a river falling down my cheeks. Stefan put his coat on my shoulders and began to rub my back in slow circles.

My shoulders shook from the sobs. He stopped and was handing something by the unknown third blur. He gave it to me and I just stared at it. He put it on the side of my neck and I just shook.

I gripped his leg and sobbing into his jean leg then whispered softly, "Rub my back some more."

He started up the circles and I held out my hand. "Hold my hand."

His fingers laced with mine. It still wasn't enough. I didn't feel protected.

I sobbed even harder. "Hold me." I said, not knowing if he even heard me.

Picking me up, Stefan laid me on his lap as I cried and cried into his shoulder. He kept rubbing my back and never let go of my hand. He never let go.

We stayed like that for hours. Until I was finally able to move and stop crying. And the blood stopped flowing out of the open bite marks on my neck.

He carried me to the car and sat me down in the passenger side seat and got in the other side.

He never said a word the whole way home. Didn't ask questions. Just let me be.

When I was finally showered and into warm, clean clothes, I hopped into bed. After a few seconds I felt the bed dip and a person get in beside me. Then I felt his arm pull me close and the tears started to flow again.

And he held me. All night. Until I finally fell asleep. As the sun was rising.


End file.
